The power requirements of military equipment differ to those of many other devices. To guide design engineers when choosing a battery for their military device, global military battery specialist, Ultralife Corporation, has published a checklist highlighting the important considerations.
The checklist, which can be downloaded from Ultralife’s website, consists of five key questions that design engineers must ask themselves before choosing a battery for a military device. The answer to each question will depend on the design of the device, how it will be used and in what conditions.
“Unlike most battery-powered equipment, military devices are often exposed to incredibly harsh conditions such as extreme temperatures, rough physical handling and high moisture environments,” explained Johnathan Celso, applications engineer at Ultralife.
“Design engineers must choose batteries capable of withstanding these conditions. To increase a battery’s robustness, they may also need to incorporate protective structures into the design.”
However, robustness isn’t the only essential consideration. The battery must power the device in accordance with the needs of the soldier. For example, some devices are required to lie dormant for long periods, but rapidly activate when needed.”
The failure of a device to meet a soldier’s requirements impedes the soldier’s ability to do their job and puts their lives at risk. The earlier that design engineers consider the battery, the better the device they provide to soldiers to meet their needs.
As technology advances, the possibilities to provide soldiers with high quality, beneficial equipment are increasing. For example, many military devices now use smart batteries that communicate with the user regarding information such as the state-of-charge or the need to be cooled down. This checklist should prompt design engineers to make the high level considerations before embarking on new projects.
Ultralife has a long history of manufacturing batteries and chargers for the military market. To find out more about portable power solutions for military use, contact a sales representative on +1 (315) 332 7100 or +44 (0) 1782 566 622.
